Advancements in mRNA technology-based therapies for infectious diseases

Abstract:

The messenger RNA (mRNA) platform has emerged as a novel nucleic acid technology for the development of vaccines and antibodies in the last decade. mRNA vaccines are superior to conventional vaccines because of safe administration, high potency, short development cycle and low cost of manufacturing. The mRNA-encoded antibodies prevail over other antibody expression platforms because of the high level and long duration of protein expression. Owing to the recent innovations in mRNA modification and delivery, mRNA platform has been developing rapidly and become a promising tool in vaccine development and cancer therapy. It is a miraculous scientific triumph to develop novel mRNA vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which paves the way to a promising future of this field. Here, we overview the ongoing efforts for the optimization of mRNA approaches, with an emphasis on the research progress of mRNA vaccines and mRNA-encoded antibodies for infectious diseases. Furthermore, we put forward the key issues facing the mRNA platform in combating infectious diseases.